A flawless video game debut is never a guarantee. From game-breaking glitches and unstable servers to fundamental balance flaws, numerous hurdles can derail even the most meticulously planned rollout. However, the saga of Splitgate 2’s release earlier this year was particularly tumultuous. Following a public relations imbroglio at Summer Game Fest—where 1047 Games founder Ian Proulx appeared in a polarizing “Make FPS Great Again” hat amidst a backdrop of regional controversy—the sequel arrived in June to a lukewarm reception from both players and critics. In a rare move just one month later, 1047 Games “unlaunched” the title to return to the drawing board.
“It’s been a series of peaks and valleys,” Proulx remarked to Polygon five months later. “Fortunately, I believe we are firmly on an upward trajectory now.”
Proulx has reason to be hopeful, even as he navigates the aftermath of a self-inflicted crisis. Today, Splitgate 2 makes its return under a new banner: Splitgate: Arena Reloaded. This secondary launch aims to recapture the series’ original identity, stripping away many of the sequel’s experimental shifts to double down on the high-speed arena combat that made the original a sleeper hit. The controversial battle royale mode has been sidelined, and character factions have been discarded entirely. The focus has returned to pure, portal-based gunplay.
Prior to the relaunch, Polygon sat down with Proulx and design director Josh Watson—formerly the game director for Rocket League—to discuss the studio’s erratic year. The question remains: can a shooter find success on its second attempt after such a notorious false start? The leadership team is optimistic, but they recognize that success hinges on rebuilding the trust lost through years of unconventional pivots.
Roughly 75% of our staff felt that the game would be better off without the faction system.
Splitgate has always occupied a unique, somewhat eccentric space in the FPS landscape. The franchise first appeared in 2019 as Splitgate: Arena Warfare, though it failed to gain significant traction initially. Its true breakthrough came during the 2021 beta, where it exploded into a multiplayer phenomenon. This success led 1047 Games to expand rapidly and overhaul the game’s aesthetics. However, the studio eventually ceased updates on the original title to focus exclusively on a high-budget sequel.
Three years later, Splitgate 2 arrived, attempting to evolve the “Halo-meets-Portal” formula by introducing hero-based factions and massive scale modes, including a battle royale. While the Summer Game Fest controversy hampered the June launch, the underlying issue was deeper: the community felt the new mechanics diluted the core portal-loop. Internal sentiment mirrored this dissatisfaction.
“We conducted extensive surveys with our community and our internal team,” Proulx explained. “When we asked our staff if we should scrap factions and if that would make the game more enjoyable, about 75% agreed. That sentiment was perfectly aligned with what we were hearing from our players.”
“I joined the project after the beta phase,” Watson added. “Even before I was part of the team, I approached it as a fan of the original and the genre. My initial impressions matched the player feedback. There was a disconnect between what people expected from arena combat and what we delivered in terms of TTK, abilities, and game modes.”
Recognizing the need for a radical pivot, Proulx chose to “unlaunch” the game—keeping the servers live but halting all seasonal content until the experience could be restructured. This period was marked by difficult layoffs at 1047 Games, adding gravity to an already tense situation. While the “unlaunch” was met with some industry derision, the dedicated player base was surprisingly supportive of the honesty.
“The reaction was certainly mixed,” Proulx admitted. “It’s a path rarely taken. We faced skepticism, but many players appreciated the admission that we launched too early. They saw the potential but realized pieces were missing. In hindsight, they were absolutely right. It was an unconventional move, but it was the only way to save the project.”
The studio spent the subsequent months identifying eight primary pillars for improvement, utilizing company-wide brainstorming sessions to address the community’s most pressing concerns. The result is Arena Reloaded, a version of the game that looks significantly different from the June release.
By removing factions and large-scale modes like the 60-player battle royale, the team regained its focus. While these modes might return eventually, Watson emphasizes that the priority is perfecting the “core experience.” The rebranding to Arena Reloaded was a deliberate choice to signal this shift in philosophy.
“We asked ourselves if this was even Splitgate 2 anymore,” Proulx said. “The name change reflects that this is a fundamentally different experience. We didn’t want to call it Splitgate 3; we wanted to explicitly state that the ‘Arena’ is our priority again.”
Rebranding is only the first step in healing a wounded reputation. Other titles, such as MultiVersus, have struggled to regain momentum after similar periods of downtime. However, Watson looks to industry success stories like Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky and Digital Extremes’ Warframe as blueprints for a successful comeback.
“Those teams share a total dedication to their players,” Watson noted. “Having spent nearly a decade at Psyonix with Rocket League, I’ve seen how important it is to protect the ‘core’ of what makes a game special. We had to strip Splitgate 2 back to its essence to find that magic again.”
My goal is for this to be the definitive version of Splitgate for years to come, making a third game unnecessary.
The path forward requires 1047 Games to maintain an open dialogue with their critics. Proulx and Watson claim to be reading every Discord thread and Reddit post, regardless of how harsh the feedback may be. “You have to listen, even when it hurts,” Proulx stated. “Trust is earned over time through action and consistency.”
The market Arena Reloaded enters today is more crowded than ever, with heavy hitters like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Arc Raiders vying for attention. Whether 1047 Games has enough goodwill left to survive this transition remains to be seen, but the studio is banking everything on this refined vision.
“Every setback is a lesson,” Proulx concluded. “I feel more prepared than ever, but I hope I never have to launch a Splitgate 3. I want this to be the one that lasts.”
Source: Polygon
